Glossary Tips

Read these 210 Glossary Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Wedding tips and hundreds of other topics.

Glossary Tips
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Pantyhose: A garment that combines both panty and stockings into a one piece waist-high garment that extends above the crotch, but not above the waist, to the toes, and is usually sheer rather than opaque.

Trumpet: Dress silhouette that is form-fitting over the bust, waist and hips and then flares out at the top of the thigh. Fuller at the bottom then an A-line. Not the same as a mermaid style that flares out lower at the knee.

Opera Glove: featuring 16 buttons, this glove is worn only at formal weddings, and usually with strapless or sleeveless or spaghetti-strap-style gowns. It goes all the way up to the upper part of your bicep.

Alencon: A mesh lace background that has been re-embroidered to outline the pattern. Traditionally used in wedding gowns, this lace usually has a scalloped border that can be used as an accent and along the hem.

Ascot tie: A wide necktie (almost like a scarf) that is looped over and held in place beneath the chin with a tie tack or stickpin. Worn with a wing-collar shirt and the daytime wedding cutaway jacket.

Short Glove: good for semi-formal or informal weddings. The end of the glove falls an inch or two above your wrist and is perfect paired with a long-sleeved dress. They often have one button, but there are two-button and four-button styles that end somewhere between your wrist and your elbow.

Gore skirt: Nope, this has nothing to do with Al Gore! It's a flared skirt that is fitted at the waist and full at the hem. There are no gathers or pleats at the top. All the fullness comes from the shape of the panels. A gore skirt has more flare than an A-line in the front.

Cascade: resembles a cascade or waterfall with the flowers flowing downward in a free-flowing, loose appearance. Traditionally made using white flowers such as roses, stephanotis, and white or calla lilies.

Vests: Worn in place of a cummerbund to cover the trouser waistband. It's often worn with a coordinating bow tie. Some are adjustable at the neck and waist with an open back, while others have a fully covered back.

Ganache: A rich chocolate mixture made by combining chopped semisweet chocolate cream, it has a consistency denser than mousse but not as dense as fudge. It can be used as a cake glaze or as a filling, and will melt in very humid weather.

Gum paste: A paste made from powdered sugar, starch and soaked gum tragacanth that is used to make realistic-looking fruits and flowers for cake garnishes. Gum paste decorations are edible and will last for a long time if you want to keep them but they don't taste as good as marzipan.

Bustle: The way a dress with a train is lifted off the ground in a decorative way. There are several different bustle styles available; your seamstress will design a bustle for your individual dress using snaps and/or hooks.

Color: Grading color in the normal range involves deciding how closely a stone's bodycolor approaches colorlessness. Most diamonds have at least a trace of yellow or brown bodycolor. With the exception of some natural fancy colors, such as blue, pink, purple, or red, the colorless grade is the most valuable. One of the four C's of diamonds.

Buttercream: A light, creamy frosting made with softened butter, confectioners' sugar, egg yolks and milk or light cream. This uncooked frosting is beaten until light and creamy. It can be flavored and colored in many ways and is used both as a filling and frosting. It's very smooth and stays soft so it's easy to cut through, but may melt in very hot or humid weather.

Boning: Flat plastic inserts sewn into a bodice's understructure. Boning gives shape and support. It allows for a smoother appearance around a body's curves because it stiffens the outside fabric and prevents creases at the waistline.

Cutaway: Jacket which tapers from the front waist button to a long, wide back tail; accessories include a wing-collar shirt with an ascot and a coordinating vest. Worn by the groom for formal daytime weddings, they're usually gray or black and come with matching striped trousers.

Nosegay: Round in shape and usually smaller than the other styles, it's made using flowers all cut to the same length and usually made with one dominant flower or color. They're often wrapped with ribbon or lace.

Waistcoat: Worn in place of a cummerbund to cover the trouser waistband. It's often worn with a coordinating bow tie. Some are adjustable at the neck and waist with an open back, while others have a fully covered back. Also known as a vest.

Morning Coat: Jacket which tapers from the front waist button to a long, wide back tail; accessories include a wing-collar shirt with an ascot and a coordinating vest. Worn by the groom for formal daytime weddings, they're usually gray or black and come with matching striped trousers.

Best Man: assistant to the groom and the head of the groomsment, he is in charge of the bachelor party, getting the groom to the church, paying the officiant, signing the marriage license, holding the rings and giving a toast at the reception.

Certified Diamond: diamond that has been graded based on an internationally accepted system for color, clarity, cut and carat weight. The grading is performed by an independent gemmological organization, and the certificate details all of the characteristics that the diamond possesses, including and estimated retail replacement value for insurance purposes.

Bow tie: A short tie shaped like a bow that can be worn with a wing or laydown collar. Most bow ties adjust to fit al neck sizes and are available in a variety of widths, colors, and patterns to match the vest or cummerbund, though black is classiest and doesn't scream ‘high school prom'. Be sure to get a real bow tie and not a clip-on.

Cut: The proportions and finish of a polished diamond (also called make). Cut can also mean shape, as in emerald cut or marquise cut. Proportions are the size and angle relationships between the facets and different parts of the stone. Finish includes polish and details of facet shape and placement. One of the four C's of diamonds.

Corsage: A single bloom or a small cluster of blooms usually featuring a ribbon. They come in various styles, including those that are pinned on, held on the wrist with elastic, and hand-held. Usually worn by the mothers/grandmothers of the bride and groom.

Fondant: A sweet, elastic icing made of sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin that's literally rolled out with a rolling pin and draped over a cake. It's a smooth, firm base for gum paste flowers, decorative details, and architectural designs, and has a porcelain finish. A fondant cake should not be refrigerated.

Halter bodice: A bodice style that has a band that fastens in the back of the neck, but leaves a lot of the back bare. Necklines for this style include round, v-neck, curved v-neck, square, curved square, and sweetheart.

Clarity: A stone's relative position on a flawless to imperfect scale, and one of the four C's of diamonds. Clarity characteristics are classified as inclusions (internal) or blemishes (external). The size, number, position, nature, and color or relief of characteristics determine the clarity grade. Very few diamonds are flawless.

Stroller: For formal daytime weddings, attendants wear the stroller/walking coat, which is usually charcoal gray and is cut slightly longer than a suit jacket. This jacket is worn with a lay-down collar shirt and a four-in-hand tie.

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